Buffs storm back in Sonora

Manteca completed an improbable comeback on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds remaining to beat Sonora 27-20 in a key Valley Oak League game on Friday in Sonora.

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By The Record

recordnet.com

By The Record

Posted Oct. 13, 2012 at 12:35 AM

By The Record

Posted Oct. 13, 2012 at 12:35 AM

» Social News

Manteca completed an improbable comeback on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds remaining to beat Sonora 27-20 in a key Valley Oak League game on Friday in Sonora.

Alex Laurel went up for a pass from quarterback Joe Menzel and came down with the football in the end zone on a fourth-down and 11 situation to give the Buffaloes (4-3, 3-1 VOL) a thrilling and much-needed win. The Buffaloes bolstered their playoff hopes and put the Wildcats (3-4, 2-2) in a precarious position as the regular-season moves into the final stretch.

"It was a must-win for both teams," said Manteca coach Eric Reis, whose team improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the VOL, second by one game behind Oakdale. "Six (wins) is a magic number and we had to have this one."

Menzel lost a fumble with his team at Sonora's 28-yard line with less than 2 minutes left in the game. The Buffaloes' defense prevented the Wildcats from getting a first down. Manteca used all of its timeouts and regained possession with about 1:20 left to play. From there, the Buffaloes marched down the field and faced a desperate situation.

"We had two receivers on either side," Reis said. "Alex worked his way to the middle of the field and we up and caught it."

Manteca ran the same play earlier in the game, but the ball was tipped away by a Sonora defender.

"It was redemption for Joe after that fumble," Reis said. "It was a sweet feeling for him also."

Sonora led 20-7 in the third quarter, but the Buffaloes clawed back, scoring on a 30-yard pass from Menzel to Michael Hatfield and a 2-yard run by Menzel that made it 20-19 leading up to the unbelievable finish.

Menzel completed 13 of 20 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Laurel had 79 yards on seven carries and a 39-yard touchdown run that put Manteca on the scoreboard. Eddie Smith carried 11 times for 50 yards for the Buffaloes.

At Lodi, the Flames' (1-6, 1-1 San Joaquin Athletic Association) playoff hopes ended with the loss, while Tracy (5-2, 2-0) set itself up for next week's SJAA showdown with Lincoln (4-3, 2-0).

"The song remains the same," Lodi coach Todd Dillon said.

If last week's comeback win over Chavez was be a breakthrough, Friday's loss to the Bulldogs was a painful reality check. Lodi could do little as Tracy's punishing veer offense, led by five total touchdowns from quarterback Luke Hannah, ran its way up and down the Grape Bowl for 379 total yards.

"Once we get down, our team just kind of shuts down," said Chance Trammel, who led the Flames with 119 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. "It's not supposed to be happening."

"They're our horses," Bulldogs coach Matt Shrout said of his two senior captains. "We live and die with them. We've had several games where it's just been those two the whole time."

- Ed Yevelev, Lodi News Sentinel

At San Andreas, the Knights (5-2, 1-0 Central California Athletic Alliance) dominated from start to finish in a game played at Calaveras High. Quarterback Austin Caldron threw for three touchdowns - 10 and 22 yards to Cameron Chew and a 20-yarder to Malik Goodwell. Chew also had a 20-yard TD run.

Jacob Matuska went both ways to score two touchdowns - on a 15-yard interception and 2-yard run.

Linebacker Darius Henton had 18 tackles and a sack, and also opened the second half with a 60-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

At Sutter Creek, Shane Sweet scored on a three-yard run and Jacob Griffin on a 6-yard run as the Thundering Herd (6-1, 1-1 Mother Lode League) shut out the Bullfrogs (0-2 MLL). Josh Stewart had a 14-yard field goal.

Griffin had 121 yards rushing on 13 carries, and Quintin Johnson 95 yards on 12 carries to lead Amador.

At Tuolumne, the Mustangs (7-0, 2-0 MLL) battled the Bears (6-1, 1-1) for first place in the MLL on a muddy field at Summerville. Argonaut broke a 7-7 halftime tie with two touchdowns in the second half before the Bears scored with less than 2 minutes left in the game. Ryan King ran for about 80 yards for the Mustangs.